This weekend was Labor Day weekend, which means that summer is over for a large part of the country after today. If you live in an area that didn’t start the new school year in August, like they do here, then by Labor Day you are certainly going to be heading back to school next week. I don’t know of any public school systems that starts later than the week after the Labor Day holiday.

I like the way our schools worked with students and their parents on going back to school All you need was a haircut, a new pair of school shoes and a lunch box if your parents preferred to pack your lunch rather than buying the school lunches served in the school cafeterias. We showed up with a 3-ring notebook filled with lined notebook paper, a couple of sharp pencils or pens, and that was all we had to buy. But around here all the kids are given long lists of school supplies that change depending on what grade you will be in. The lists are very specific and include items that will be shared by everyone in the class – not for your own use. I don’t like that idea at. I would much rather have my own things and then donate money for kids who are needy and can’t afford to buy their own supplies.

Anyway, this weekend means a lot of the outdoor swimming pools will be closing after the Labor Day holiday. That always bugs me, because we have hot weather well into October and we could easily get another 4-6 weeks use of the swimming pools. But they close them anyway, especially the ones who depend on students to work as lifeguards. I know that the college kids have gone back to college and the high school students are in school during the day, but do we always need lifeguards?

Why can’t someone provide a service that sends an adult around to each of the pools that sign up as customers to check the chemicals, clean the pool of floating debris, and make sure everything is tidy? Why do you need a full time lifeguard to do those things? I think this is a good business opportunity for someone who knows about keeping pools cleaned and maintained.